Copyright
Copyright Registration: We help our clients register copyrights for computer programs, motion pictures, visual art, sound recordings, and other literary, musical, dramatic, sculptural, pictorial, and architectural works.
Our services include copyright registration, counseling, licensing and transfer of ownership, acquisition, sale and litigation. Our attorneys are knowledgeable regarding the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other current laws and regulations for the registration and enforcement of copyrights. We counsel our clients and assist in the management of our client’s copyright portfolios.
Copyright Litigation: We represent clients in all types of copyright related matters in federal court, through the appeals process and in state court in preemption matters.
General Definition: Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The owner of copyright has exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phono records of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.
What is Protectable with a Copyright: Copyrights protect your brochures, advertisements, pamphlets, machine drawings, illustrations, web sites, computer programs, software and data bases developed for your business. Historically, copyrights protect films, books, songs, musical scores, pictures, video and works of art. Copyrights are relatively inexpensive to register and yet provide substantial benefits.
Ownership and Authorship – A Critical Matter: A critical but complex issue often occurs in determining who owns the copyright to a creative work. In general, you own the copyright if your employee creates the work but, if an independent contractor creates the work, you need a written agreement or contract transferring ownership to you.
Our attorneys have considerable experience in all aspects of the law, both domestic and internationally, relating to the protection of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, jewelry designs, songs, computer software, and architecture.
We advise on every aspect of copyrights, including searches for registered rights throughout the world, particularly in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
Copyright protection of works of authorship begins the moment the work is attached to a tangible medium, such as the paper used for a book. Although registering a work with the U.S. Copyright Office is not required to have protected copyright, there are significant benefits in doing so. The Concept Law Group advises our clients on adequate and cost-effective strategies to protect their works of authorship.
This may include filing U.S. copyright applications or seeking international protection through the Madrid Protocol. Please see our FAQ page for more information. We can also handle the renewals of your international design registrations, as well as the transfer (assignment) of rights and the granting of licenses.
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